Linguistic Discourse Research Articles

ARCHITECTONICS OF AMERICAN COURTROOM DISCOURSE: AN IMPLICIT WAY OF CONTENT MANAGEMENT

The article examines the specificity of courtroom discourse as a communicative integrity, which is manifested in the comprehensive coherence of its information components. The proposed paper signifi- cantly contributes to the existing studies on the linguistics of courtroom discourse, focusing on the study of its architectonics, a problem that is currently on the periphery of researchers’ scientific interests. The ne- cessity (relevance) of studying courtroom discourse as a comprehensive information cluster, including in- teraction and subordination of its components, is explained by the need to identify the factors ensuring the effectiveness of the communication process. All this determines the novelty of the research. The aim of our study is to define the nature of courtroom discourse and its architectonics from the point of the information it contains, its arrangement, and its impact on the audience. To achieve this aim, both general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, systematisation, classification, induction, deduction) and strictly linguistic methods (random sampling and observation, lexical-semantic and contextual analysis, interpretation of dictionary definitions) were used. In addition, the method of sociolinguistic analysis of the corpus was employed to study the interdependence between language and society. The aim has led to the following objectives: to establish kinds of information the courtroom discourse is based on; to determine the way of how it is delivered and organised to strongly impact the recipients; to justify the notion of architectonics in using it to courtroom discourse. The corpus material was the texts of the opening and closing speeches of prosecutors and defense lawyers at the two high-profile trials of 1999 – 2000 and 2021 (the Amadou Diallo Trial (1999–2000); the George Floyd Murder (Chauvin) Trial (2021). The findings of the study were as follows: It has been established that communication in court, in terms of its focus on the effective exchange of various kinds of information, affects the following: a) the rational perception (semantic information, impact on the mind); b) the emotional perception (aesthetic information, impact on emotions); c) the irratio- nal perception (synectic information, impact on the unconscious) that form an information cluster. It has been shown for the first time that the effectiveness of the communication process in court is determined by the extent of impact or depth of penetration of resources of each kind of information. The concept of architectonics is clarified as a certain, a coordinated and coherent arrangement of blocks of discourse, not reducible to the sum of these blocks, determined by the overall goal of the author in relation to the delivery and impact of information. It is emphasised that the architectonics of discourse affects and implicitly manages the process of audience’s perception of its content. The research also first establishes that the architectonics of the prosecution discourse is constructed through progressive disclosure. Conversely, the discursive space of the defense is organised through the vi- sualisation of a narrative, with the main theme, idea, or concept at its center. The topics that provide expla- nation are arranged around it. Such construct of architectonics is based on the principle of mindmapping. Both constructs provide legal professionals with almost unlimited scope of the creativity to set up the nec- essary chains of association. It is necessary to mention that personal attitudes should be introduced into the architectonics of courtroom discourse as well as a myth created. This also determines, among other things, the success of courtroom discourse. The classification of types of transgression based on their impact on the recipients has been supple- mented, namely, constructive and disruptive ones. The study shows promise as it would be intriguing to explore this issue from the perspective of the evolution of the architectonics of courtroom discourse.

Analysis of the Linguistic Personality as a Subject of Psycholinguistic Research: Dynamics of Development and Forecasts for the Future

This study explores the psycholinguistic aspects of speech as a cognitive process, integrating linguistic, communicative, and socio-cultural elements. The research addresses the novelty of examining how segmentation, comprehension, storage, and information integration contribute to enhancing communication skills and developing speech abilities. Additionally, it introduces a fresh perspective on psycholinguistic discourse analysis, highlighting the importance of collaboration between disciplines such as psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, and artificial intelligence. The key findings indicate that linguistic markers (LM) and discourse markers (DM) are crucial in processing speech and interaction. The study also emphasizes the multimodal aspects of communication – written language, gestures, gazes, and postures – as essential factors in speech perception. The results demonstrate that revising the epistemological framework for understanding discourse semantics is necessary for advancing the field. By proposing new approaches, the study lays the groundwork for future interdisciplinary research and contributes to advancing knowledge of psycholinguistics and communication studies. This study emphasizes the interdisciplinary integration of psycholinguistics and communication studies, focusing on the role of linguistic and discourse markers in cognitive and social interactions. The findings advocate for enhancing educational approaches by integrating psycholinguistic insights to support language development. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of language processing dynamics by addressing challenges in multimodal communication and cognitive load management. It paves the way for innovative applications in artificial intelligence and sociolinguistics.

Media articulation and the stabilisation of teacher policies in Chile

ABSTRACT This article explores the ideological articulation and stabilisation of educational reforms aimed at shaping teachers’ work in Chile. Focusing on teacher policies as an articulation through which state political projects are advanced, the article contributes to enhancing the cultural and structural dimensions of neoliberalism. More specifically, it builds from the tools of Corpus Linguistics and Critical Discourse Analysis to trace ideational sediments through which hegemonic projects have been articulated in two major national media conglomerates between 1978 and 2020. The study shows how, in the context of Chilean teacher policy, two ideological sediments intimately connected have shaped structural developments over the last four decades, and it contends that analysing ideological and cultural articulations in media is crucial for comprehending policy settlements. The conclusion emphasises the need to carefully consider these influences when envisioning new directions in teacher policies and underscores the strength of the still ongoing neoliberal agenda.

Looking Upstream:

“Looking upstream” refers to going beyond the negative effects of the current problems which disproportionately impacts historically marginalized families— water contamination, flooding, and scarcity—to see causation: why is the problem happening in the first place? In this article, we “look upstream” at our language and literacy practices and attempt to see how these are entangled with representations of our place in the water cycle. We examine a few curricular artifacts from our Literacy Clinic—dually focused on responsive literacy instruction and water justice—to illustrate our entanglements with linguistic systems, discourses, and narratives. Part of the way forward, we argue, is changing the ways we speak, write, and read in relation to our shared environment, including water and all forms of life.

Easy read health information for people with intellectual disabilities: A linguistic discourse analysis. What happens to language when it is simplified?

Easy Read health documents prepared for people with intellectual disabilities are often generated from Standard Texts. Language in Easy Read versions is typically assumed to be simpler. However, simplification of language may have unintended consequences. This study aimed to explore the differences in language used between Easy Read health material and the Standard Text versions of the same material produced for the general population. Five Easy Read/Standard Text pairs were sampled and analysed using Systemic Functional Linguistics. This addressed: how people with intellectual disabilities and others were represented by language, the author stance in relation to the reader and the overall organisation of the text. The Easy Read versions often used language that was less empowering and inclusive. Increased awareness of author power and better knowledge of the impact of language choice could help to redress these issues.

Modern trends in the study of scientific discourse in Russian linguistics: A systematic review

Modern trends in the study of scientific discourse in Russian linguistics: A systematic review

W poszukiwaniu przyczyn wyrażania niechęci wobec dzieci w internecie

The article aims to highlight the phenomenon of adults expressing resentment towards children and to try to reach its causes. The subject of the study consists of the statements of internet users perceived through the prism of linguistic discourse analysis. The author distinguishes three groups of causes: cultural (individualism, freedom in way of life, egocentrism), social (child-centrism vs. loss of social contact with the child) and psychological (individual). Cultural reasons relate to the fact that people nowadays value freedom and don’t want to make sacrifices for children who they consider a disturbance to their orderly, ideal way of life and individualistic mindset. Social causes come in the form of two seemingly opposing ideas. The first is about protest against pressure to have and to like children, alongside the priority given to families with children. The second is about the loss of social contact with the child, caused by the change in the family model and the privatization of motherhood. Psychological causes are of an individual nature; they may be related to trauma and various hypersensitivities and often manifest in expressions of disgust towards children. The author draws attention to the normalization of rude language behavior and the escalation of expressed resentment, which raises questions about the possibility of age discrimination.

Linguistic discourse analysis of lexico-grammatical features of moves in the research abstracts of medical students in a Ghanaian university

Writing a quality research abstract is crucial for a scholarly report. An abstract should be information and lexically dense, formal, and have a professional tone. This requires precision, objectivity, logicality, technicality, and comprehensiveness. However, writing a good-quality research abstract is a hurdle for novice and inexperienced undergraduate students who study English as a Second Language (ESL), that is English language learners worldwide. This article interrogates the research abstracts written by undergraduate medical students who also studied English Language at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ho, Ghana. A qualitative-quantitative approach, guided by Hyland’s (2000, 2004) five-move model, was used to analyze the lexico-grammatical features in the rhetorical moves of the research abstracts written by these students. A corpus of 23 extracts representing a quota of sample tenses, hedges, boosters, and nominalization were analyzed. The data were coded manually and presented as frequency counts and percentages in tables and graphically. The results revealed that rhetorical moves in the research abstracts written by undergraduate medical students of UHAS in Ho, Ghana were replete with simple past, simple present, and perfect tenses, and lexico-grammatical devices such as hedges, boosters, and nominalization to a greater or lesser extent. The study concludes that the research abstracts written by undergraduate medical students of UHAS follow Hyland’s (2002, 2004) five rhetorical move model, and are constituted by specific lexico-grammatical features. The pedagogical implications are discussed, and suggestions for future research are provided.

Assembling tigers, dragons and hells: relational materialist geographies of curated themed spaces

Themed spaces and theme parks constitute of significant human-based desires and linguistic discourses that stabilises/destabilises their social identities and materialities. This paper draws on a relational materialist perspective to examine Singapore’s longstanding themed space, Haw Par Villa, to offer insights into its social and material stability and instabilities. Relational materialism facilitates observations and analysis of interactions of humans and their material worlds on the same ontological plane where human’s agencies are de-centred. Social and material objects are seen to operate in mutually constitutive fashions. The development of a site/theme park and its larger country context are conceptualised here as ‘assemblages’ using DeLanda’s brand of assemblage theory to reveal the operations of human-based ‘desires’ alongside material agencies. Specifically, the desires of the founder and the key discourses related to the founder’s name helped constitute and stabilise the social identity and materiality of the Haw Par Villa through its eventful history of physical destruction, reconstruction, rebranding and reimagining. Despite his eventual non-involvement with Haw Par Villa’s management due to his passing, the founder’s desires and discourses linger on in various forms, resulting in subsequent attempts to rework the identity and materiality of this themed space failing if the attempts are not congruent on some level with the founder’s desires and discourses. This resulted in the failure of first, the state and, subsequently, private endeavours in re-constituting the themed space. In doing so, this paper contributes to a socio-material understanding of the resilience and sustainability of themed spaces.

When Yesterday’s Enemy Becomes Today’s Friend: A Corpus-assisted Critical Discourse Analysis of the Representation of Arabs in the Israeli ‘Jerusalem Post’

Media is considered a reflection of society and at the same time, it uses language as a power. The present study investigates the representation of Arabs in the Israeli newspaper, ‘The Jerusalem Post’, which is published in English. In other words, this study seeks to show how the Israeli press represents Arabs to the world, especially the West. Accordingly, we chose the Jerusalem Post since it is one of the most popular Israeli newspapers. Moreover, this study focuses on the articles that contain the word ‘Arab*’ and its variants from January 2017 to December 2021; this period represents the time span before and after the recent official normalization of relations between some Arab governments and Israel in order to shed light on the change of Israeli representation of Arabs during this period, if any. We draw upon a corpus of over 22 million words to conduct this study. Both corpus linguistic and critical discourse analysis are used to achieve the study goal. The analysis has shown that Arabs are negatively represented in pre-normalization period, and although the second period (2020-2021) witnessed the official normalization of relations between some Arab governments and Israel, Arabs are still represented negatively in the newspaper.

Nomination and Predication as Profiling Tools in Media Discourse

The article concerns the phenomenon of profiling as a cognitive concept and a research paradigm implemented in German discourse linguistics and used successfully in the linguistic discourse analysis. The contrastive analysis is carried out based on the Polish and German-language research corpus. The analysis aims to reconstruct the profiles of the controversial biographers in the press – Artur Domosławski (author of Kapuściński’s biography), and Gerhard Gnauck (author of Reich-Ranicki’s biography). In this approach, profiling in the media discourse is understood as a dynamic process, pointing to journalists’ competing and mutually combating positions and points of view, embedded in different cultures. Based on the theoretical assumptions and the specificity of the corpus, important questions arise about who profiles whom, what perspective they adopt and what linguistic practices they use. The analysis will examine nominations (referential forms) and predications (predicative forms) in the context of their potential for profiling discourse actors. The selected tools will allow us to reconstruct the culturally specific profiles of both biographers.

Diskurspoetik

This discourse linguistic short paper focuses on the heuristic concept of discourse poetics within a discourse linguistic framework. The goal is to integrate poetological considerations related to the concept of poeticity into the context of linguistic discourse analysis. From this standpoint, it explores the concept of poetics of knowledge, emphasizing the correlation between the specifics of linguistic expression and the epistemic objects they may refer to. Building upon this, discourse poetics that functions as a discourse linguistic epistemology is characterized by its focus on the poetic function of language use corresponding to the category of poeticity as a linguistic marker within discourse. It is assumed that linguistic phenomena falling under this category, can be observed and interpreted transtextually, using corpus pragmatic and hermeneutic approaches. This is illustrated by examples taken from the analysis of music discourses based on a corpus of 13,499 contemporary music reviews, previously presented by the author.

Linguistische Diskursethnographie als Zugriff auf das Praxisfeld Queer-Gottesdienst

German-Speaking Discourse Linguistics has long been concerned with the analysis of primarily textual data. Thus, other approaches to discourse building up on ideas from qualitative social research have often been neglected. Following Phillip Dreesen (2018), I am going to argue in this paper that ethnographic research strategies are a useful complement to traditional text-analytical approaches. Accordingly, I will illustrate what I mean by Linguistic Discourse-Ethnography and how it can connect to the already existing interdisciplinary research within Discourse Studies. In order to illustrate my arguments, I am going to investigate the phenomenon of hermeneutic speechlessness and how queer church-services help actors to resolve it. Eventually, I will argue that one of the major strengths of Linguistic Discourse-Ethnography is that it can give insight into process of subjectification i.e. that it can illustrate how actors use hegemonic linguistic resources to reconceptualize ways of becoming a subject in discourse.

Metaphor in grammatical works of linguists

The object of the research is metaphorical nominations in scientific linguistic discourse. The purpose of the study is to systematically describe the structural and semantic features of metaphors in grammatical works. The identification of expressive linguistic units in scientific texts is important for a comprehensive study of the relationship between rational and emotional in strict speech styles. The appeal to this topic is dictated by the need to find ways to present complex theoretical material in university syntax teaching. The article considers metaphors-words, metaphors-phrases and metaphors-predicative units characterizing transitional phenomena in the grammar of the Russian language. Metaphorical designations in the description of the desemanticized verbal components of analytical constructions and verbal connectives are highlighted. Metaphors characterizing other grammatical phenomena are analyzed. The role of verbal metaphors in the description of constitutive features of sentences of different types is established. The features of substantive and adjectival metaphors in grammatical works are noted. It is shown that the expanded metaphors demonstrate the multidimensional nature of syntactic categories. It is concluded that verbal and substantive metaphors convey the desire of linguists to present the grammatical system as dynamic, actively developing. The use of metaphorical names makes it possible to present grammatical theory in a more accessible way, to draw attention to interesting linguistic facts.

ЛИНГВОПРАГМАТИЧЕСКИЙ АСПЕКТ ИЗУЧЕНИЯ МЕДИАТЕКСТА

The study delves into the linguopragmatic aspects of media texts, emphasizing their significance in shaping public opinion and cultural norms. Media texts are dynamic communication forms that convey messages within specific media formats and genres, necessitating precise semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic accuracy. This article explores key approaches to the linguopragmatic analysis of media texts, identifying their unique characteristics and practical applications. The methods employed include linguistic analysis, discourse analysis, cognitive analysis, and psycholinguistic analysis, aimed at uncovering the interaction between language elements and social contexts. The findings highlight the importance of headlines, rhetorical devices, and interactive elements in engaging audiences and enhancing the pragmatic effect of media texts. The study also underscores the emotional and cognitive impact of media texts on audiences, influencing their perceptions and behaviors. Future research may focus on detailed analysis of specific media text types and their interaction with diverse social and cultural contexts.

Diversity of dialects of the novel characters according to the descriptive stylistics, the novel (Alye di ye pre) as an example

Methods of style directions are considered as backgrounds for certain reasons and mechanisms of the methods followed, to interpret linguistic or literary discourses and to identify certain methodological characteristics according to certain scientific methods to avoid inferential decisions and interpretations, according to linguistic levels, As a result of contemporary linguistic research done through the use of linguistic sciences in order to identify aesthetic aspects of literary works and writings. Descriptive stylistics is considered an important direction for interpretation of any innovative discourse, because the nature of methodological research, some linguistic directions are important for interpretation of any text it takes hold of itself. Because the concept of expression among linguists is connected the material form of speech, such as speech versus content, which becomes a linguistic meaning for that speech, or the sounds spoken and written on the surface of expression with surface of content, because language is speech. Either they are just some voices and each nation speaks through them, or they are voices that express their actions. This research is entitled (Diversity of dialects of the novel characters according to the descriptive stylistics, the novel (Alye di ye pre) as an example), is an attempt to explain the language expression of characters according to the theory of descriptive stylistics. Expression methodology is a good basis for interpreting text according to the mechanisms it works with in order to convey the right direction for understanding the message of each text.

The Stigmatized Linguistic Discourse Used Against Women: Moroccan Films and Sitcoms as Study Cases

The Stigmatized Linguistic Discourse Used Against Women: Moroccan Films and Sitcoms as Study Cases

Green Discourses in Textbooks: A Critical Eco-Linguistic Analysis of Children’s Literature at Primary Level in Pakistan

When it comes to communicating the underlying ideology to the intended audience, textbooks are regarded as an important means of communication. The ideologies that are transmitted through these books are made to be long-lasting through the utilization of a variety of linguistic and semiotic techniques. It is possible for ideologies that are spread through such covert means to leave an indelible mark on the minds of young students for a considerable amount of time. The current research will make use of primary English and Urdu textbooks published by the Punjab Textbook Board (PTB) to conduct an in-depth analysis of green discourses that have been selected for analysis. In the years 2022 and 2023, these books were released to the public. In order to conduct the analysis, linguistic and visual contents that are associated with environmentally friendly discourses will be chosen. When conducting the analysis of the data, the study will make use of a modified research model. For the purpose of conducting an analysis of the chosen data, the Eco-linguistic Discourse Analysis model developed by Stibbe (2015) and the Semiological Discourse Analysis (SDA) model developed by Barthes (1968) will be utilized. An attempt has been made by curriculum designers to raise awareness among young learners about eco-discourses by including environmentally friendly discourses in selected textbooks of PTB at the primary level. This will be revealed by the analysis of the data, which will reveal that this attempt has been made. Furthermore, it will emphasize that primary textbooks are the most effective medium for ideological investment and for molding the mindset of the target audience, which consists of young students who are considered to be the future of a nation, regarding the concept of going green through the incorporation of linguistic and semiotic discourses that are friendly to the environment.

Climate Imaginaries and the Linguistic Construction of Identities on Social Media

This article takes a linguistic approach to the construction of group identities in relation to climate imaginaries, which condition what climate futures are considered possible. It employs social identity theory along with methods from Sociolinguistics and Discourse Linguistics to analyse patterns of positioning and stance-taking in social media discourse (Twitter/X, Instagram). By identifying typical multimodal practices at a micro level, as well as introducing five functional meta categories (›awareness, advice, and agitation‹, ›ritualised appreciation‹, ›solidarity and allyship, ›voice and advocacy‹, and ›community demarcation‹), the research investigates how digital discourse reflects and shapes group identities related to climate change topics. It thereby offers insights into the role of language in co-producing climate imaginaries in digitally shared environments.

A Linguistic-Discourse Analysis of the Language of Psalm 23

This paper examines the linguistic-discourse Analysis of Psalm 23, from the holy Bible, the book of the Christian religion. Linguistic-discourse analysis is one of the approaches used in disbanding the entanglements and ambiguities in language study. The linguistics and discourse features discussed include the graphological features, phonological features, syntactic structure,lexico-semantic representation, and cohesive relations. The graphological features are the punctuation marks, indentation, paragraphing and capitalization of letters in the text. The phonological features in the text are alliteration and assonance. Moreover, the syntactic structure includes short phrases, clauses, sentences, and pattern repetition, and the use of archaic pronouns which form part of the clauses and sentences. The lexico-semantic representation explains the linguistic explanation of the structure and meaning of the text. Consequently, the cohesive relations discussed in the text are anaphora, cataphora, substitution, conjunction, synonym,repetition and collocational converse. The theoretical framework adopted in this study is the Neo-Firthian Hallidayan Systemic Functional Grammar . The word 'systemic' means that language is viewed as a set of options for making meaning (Halliday, 1990; Obodeh, 2018). Brown and Yule (1983) Theory on Discourse analysis is also used as a backup to Halliday systemic grammar. The theory contains four approaches which include reference, presupposition, implicative and influence. Brown and Yule stated that the theory would help in the analysis of written textual, spoken and interaction for the research and also for the reader of the analysis, and this paper is an analysis of a written discourse. The library is also one of the research methods for this study. This is where books, journals and other useful research information are kept. The analysis in the study portrays the fact that a religious text could be analysed using the tenets of linguistics discourse. Since language is a tool of all activities in life, this paper therefore has tried to solve some language problems by analyzing the linguistics and discourse features of the language of the text, Psalm 23, for better understanding of the text by readers, clergy, congregations, and scholar of language and literature in particular and the academia in general.